Consumer Reports Market Intelligence ResearchDecember 3, 2015

• Profile of Current Donors• Prospect motivations and expectations when donating• Competitor review• Recommendations

Contents

Profile of Current Donors

Profile of Current Donors• Overwhelmingly older and white – Baby Boomers

• 83.8% are white• Only around 4.6% of users subscribers are under 35• The majority (72.8%) are aged 35-74, with the largest single age range

(28.6%) being 55-64• Predominantly male

• Around two-thirds of donors are male• Married, but not all have children present

• Not surprisingly given the age range, 72% are married, however only 53.8% report having children present

• Highly educated, white collar professionals• 69.6% of paid active users have a college education, with 31.6% having a

graduate degree• The top 4 professional categories are all professional white collar jobs,

representing 68.9% of all CRO paid active users• Well paid, with the majority of paid actives likely

falling into the upper middle class or upper classes• With 73.9% earning over $70K and 29,1% earning over $149,999• One-third have a house value over $400,000

Profile of Current Donors• The vast majority of donors can

be classified as Boomers• This is the group that represents, for most

non-profit organizations, the largest group of donors and the group they target most often

• They were often raised with a philanthropic tradition, are still working, have money to give, and are frequently the major donors

• Matures are also a valuable group for non-profits to target• Whilst they represent a smaller potential

sub-group than boomers, they do tend to give more per person

• Together these groups represent the most likely candidates for being major donors

SourcesFuture of Non-profits Depends on ‘Generation Y’, Web Marketing Today, Nov 2014

Prospect motivations and expectations when donating

Prospect motivations and expectations when donating• A study published in the Journal of

Consumer Research asked several simple questions:

1. Who is more likely to give money to charity? • The study found that not surprisingly people with

strong moral values are more likely to give to charity

2. How do those people choose which charities to donate to?• It was discovered that people are more likely to

give to a charity if they could empathize with the recipients or the cause the charity was campaigning for• Especially in cases where the charity was collecting for

groups whom could be perceived to be responsible for their own predicament

• The implication being that charities should either message in such a way to elicit empathy or imply low responsibility on the part of the charity recipients (i.e. make them appear to be victims of external forces)

SourcesA new study suggests that people who have a high moral identity and empathy with a charitable cause…, Tech Times, July 2014

Prospect motivations and expectations when donatingCompanies can elicit empathy in donors by:1. Focusing on individuals or small

groups• Use imagery or testimonials that reflect this, focusing

less on statistics and more on the ideal recipients and beneficiaries of the charity

2. Make the impact of the product relatable to your target donors• Again testimonials and imagery are particularly

effective tools for this, although it is important that they reflect groups that the donors can relate to

• Consider demographics that are similar to the donors or reflective of those they might care about (i.e. their families)

SourcesA new study suggests that people who have a high moral identity and empathy with a charitable cause…, Tech Times, July 2014

Prospect motivations and expectations when donating• Boomers are already the most generous age

group, but according to a Merrill Lynch study this will only increase as they retire, with Boomers expected to give $8 trillion

• According to the study Boomers are:• Particularly interested in knowing how a charity will

spend their money before deciding to give, with many putting a lot of thought into deciding on where to give

• Many also want to specify or at least see how their resources are used

• Want to understand the impact of their donations• In order to match this motivation when

asking for donations it is essential to provide:• Powerful and specific fundraising offers that clearly

show donors what their donations will accomplish• Excellent reporting back that demonstrates that their

giving accomplished its mission.SourcesGiving in Retirement: America’s Longevity Bonus, Merrill Lynch

Prospect motivations and expectations when donating• The Merrill Lynch study also found that the

main reason older people give is “to make a difference in the lives of others”• This is followed by providing value back, that gives their

own loves “meaning and purpose”• It is important to note that only 16% claimed to give so

as to receive “charitable tax deductions”• Furthermore this fits well with findings that

gratitude is the most important motivation for charity

• All this speaks to the importance of selling the specific impact donations will have on the charity and its recipients• This can probably be increased by making the impact

tangible and personable• It is also important to thank the givers for

their time and donations in a sincere mannerSources

Giving in Retirement: America’s Longevity Bonus, Merrill Lynch

Prospect motivations and expectations when donating• The study further found that the biggest

limit on older donors giving more is anxiety around the trustworthiness of a charity

• Recommend speaking to the importance of selling the prospective donor on the credibility of Consumer Reports• In terms of the charities efficiency and ability to credibly

impact the desired outcomes• Provide certifications, seals or quotes from independent

charity or business watchdogs• Providing testimonial of the positive impact the charity’s

work has on consumers• As well as reinforce claims about their research being

wholly independent

SourcesGiving in Retirement: America’s Longevity Bonus, Merrill Lynch

Competitor review

Competitors Reviewed• For the purposes of this report we reviewed a wide range of similar

sites that either directly compete with Consumer Reports or at least provide relevant learning opportunities

• Only sites that ultimately had relevant and transferable insights will be shared in the report section• JD Power

• Give MN• Choice.AU

• ConsumerSearch.com• Epinions.com

• ConsumerReview.com• Which.co.uk

• AudioReview.com• Checkbook.org

• Wize.com• MyThreeCents.com

• CNet.com• Top10Inaction.com

• Ireviews.com• Reviews.com

J.D. Power• Heavy focus on asserting their

credibility highlighting their:• Experience (more than 45 years)• Resources (12 offices and over 700

professional analysts, statisticians, economists, consultants, and experts)

• Industry and brand recognition• Awards – Honomichl awards

SourcesJ.D. Power HomepageJ.D. Power Overview

Choice.AU• Imagery focusses on a single family

image, helping to elicit familiarity and empathy

• Value focusses on:• The number of product and service

reviews available• Helps emphasize the value for money

• The unbiased and independent nature of the reviews

• Their role at the heart of the Australian consumer advocacy movement

• Special emphasis is given to relieving anxiety donors may have about the charity• Uses testimonials, that also help provide

specifics around the value of how the organization has an impact on real peopleSources

Choice.AU

Which.co.uk• Imagery focusses on a single family

image, helping to elicit familiarity and empathy

• Value focusses on:• Being independent• 50 years of experience and ability to

provide “expert advice”• Focus on how it helps users make “good

decisions”• Uses a long page to detail all the

categories they provide advice on• Maintains Which branding throughout• Use of headline and clarifying copy, followed

by a CTA in each section to provide a short but controlled thought sequence that guides users to the click

• Use of high quality imagery to support each value pointSources

Which.co.uk

TopTenReviews.com• Imagery focusses on highlighting

the expert reviewers• Value focusses on:

• Hands on evaluation of products• Specialist reviewers and editors• Weighted scoring systems• Editorial Independence

SourcesToptenreviews.com

Reviews.com• Imagery focusses on highlighting

the expert reviewers• Value focusses on:

• Exhaustive review process conducted by experienced researchers and experts

• Review Categories of products• Editorial Independence

SourcesReviews.com

Give MN• Use high quality imagery of a single

subject in order to focus the value on who the donor’s money is saving

• Provide clarity around how a donor’s money is spent, by providing specific value copy

SourcesGiveMN.org HomepageAbout GiveMN - Our Organization Give MN - How Donations Work/What's New

Recommendations

RecommendationsValue Proposition and MessagingGeneral• Should consider writing messaging that speaks to consumer’s willingness

to help others, rather than focusing on messaging that encourages or incentivizes personal gain

• Aim to use messaging and imagery that elicits empathy from the prospective donor• This can be done by providing clarity as to whom the charity helps and how• Showing imagery of groups the prospective donor can relate to will also likely resonate better• Providing testimonials from happy customers and those whom Consumer Reports have helped, helps

build credibility, as well as provide clarity around just who the charity is helping and how

RecommendationsValue Proposition and MessagingTargeting Older Prospects• Unless able to specifically target younger prospects, value proposition

and messaging should be chosen that matches the motivations of the valuable “Boomer” and “Mature” segments

• Value messaging should ideally provide clarity to the prospect about how their money will be spent and how it will have a measurable impact on the cause, in a way that will help others• This should be written in such a way that it convinces the prospect donor that this is the best way to

spend their charity, making it explicitly clear how they, the prospect, will be making a difference to others• Relating this to real people or at least the imagined idea of real people will likely increase the impact it will

have on the prospect and help the message resonate• Also once someone is a donor provide specific feedback about the impact their donations are having• By providing clarity around the workings of the charity and how it spends its money, you will also

relieve potential donor anxiety around the authenticity of the charity and its claims• Speaking to Consumer Report’s independent and thorough testing processes would likely be of value in this

respect

RecommendationsValue Proposition and MessagingRelieving Anxiety• Effort should also be made to provide evidence of the direct outcomes of

the charity, as well as the impact this has on those it helps• Evidence of awards• Provide evidence of people the charity has helped, i.e. testimonials and case studies• Provide an understanding of the charities successes and the outcomes of the work they do

• This could include example studies, number of research tests, cost per study etc.

Appendix

Consumer motivations for donating money • According to an article published by The Guardian, the reason for why donate money

fall into the following three categories:1. “I donate because I value the social good done by the charity”2. “I donate because I extract value from knowing I contribute to the social good for the charity” 3. “I donate because I want to show off to potential mates how rich I am”

• People know that they should give money to where it will have the greatest impact; however, based on multiple experiments, people are more responsive to charitable pleas than they are to statistical information• Research has shown that the proven effectiveness of charity campaigns does not increase giving

• People are influenced by one another• A university example showed that people were willing to give more money if their former roommate

called asking for the donation• Having a celebrity supporter also increase donations to a charity for those who have previously given• People that play a significant role in each others’ lives is encouragement for individuals to donate

SourcesThe Guardian - Why people give money

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/media-library/sites/cmpo/migrated/documents/wp326.pdf

Emotional Charity: http://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2014/sep/29/poverty-porn-charity-adverts-emotional-fundraising

Effect of Effectiveness: Donor response to aid effectiveness in a Direct Mail draising experiment: http://www.nber.org/papers/w20047

Consumer anxieties for donating money • An article was written about 6 reasons why people do not give to charities / causes:

1. The identifiable victim:• People identify with an actual victim versus stats

• An experiment showed that people were more willing to give money to a young Malawian girl named Rokia versus the other group of people who received information around the need, including statistics.

2. Parochialism:• People care for one another and/or charities that they feel close to

• Americans gave $1.54 billion to help those affected by the Southeast Asia Tsunami in 2004. In 2005, Americans donated $6.5 billion after Hurricane Katrina

3. Futility:• People are overwhelmed with the number of victims that are needing help

• Participants in a study to save Rwandan refugee camp were more “willing to [donate] if they could save 1,500 out of 5,000 versus 1,500 out of 10,000 people”

4. The Diffusion of Responsibility • People assume that someone else will help when needed

• One experiment showed that “70% of participants who are alone and heard sounds of distress from another person in an adjoining room responded and helped”.

5. The Sense of Fairness• People may feel that others are not doing their fair share if they are not giving (example: 10%) of their income

6. Money • The charity, The Life you can Save, has a page dedicated to the

ten reasons not to give money to charity SourcesNonProfit - Why People Don't Give